Thomas Riley Edwards
Thomas Riley Edwards was a leader of the Pioneer Expedition, as well as the main antagonist of the REF Civil War, which occupied the Robotech Expeditionary Forces during the early part of the Invid Invasion. History Global War )]] T.R. Edwards had been a fighter pilot during the Global War. His greatest foe had been Roy Fokker, and had a long history of battles with him in the air; however, sources differ on whether Fokker had been aware of Edwards' presence, (Robotech: The Graphic Novel, ''Robotech/Voltron) or it he had only known him as an anonymous fighter pilot. (From the Stars) During the last of these battles, they were interrupted by the blast of the SDF-1 as it crash landed on the Earth. After this event, the war was called off. (Robotech: The Graphic Novel, From the Stars) On the SDF-1 Macross According to one source, Edwards was sent to investigate the crashed wreckage, along with Fokker, Gloval, and others. Inside, they found the SDF-1 was full of hazards, traps, and as great technology. (Robotech: The Graphic Novel) Another source suggested that Fokker was not present at the scene, and did not clarify if Edwards was present. (Robotech: From the Stars) Reverted Timeline : 4)]] In a reverted timeline caused by the disappearance of the SDF-1 and the crash landing of Voltron Lion Force on Macross Island, T.R. appeared and put Max Sterling and Ben Dixon under military custody for witnessing the event. (Robotech/Voltron 1) For the next five years, Edwards lead an operation to rebuild the Lions in case of the return of any Zentraedi forces. In 2014, he invited a battle scarred and emotionally troubled Roy Fokker back to Macross Island to help oversee the project. (Robotech/Voltron 2') The Grand Cannon : ''Ghosts of the Past)]] Edwards worked at Alaska Base through the end of the First Robotech War. The Zentraedi attacked the Earth in 2012, wiping out most of the people on the planet, leaving only small pockets of life: Alaska Base was one of them. (Macross Saga: Force of Arms, Reconstruction Blues) Edwards was one of the survivors, but was left blinded in one eye by the attack. Additionally, Lisa Hayes was among the survivors. Rick Hunter rescued Lisa, but did not see Edwards, nor Edwards' dying female friend (who remains unidentified). The woman died in Edwards' arms, so he swore revenge on both Rick and Lisa. (Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles: Ghosts of the Past, Robotech II: The Sentinels) Pioneer Mission )]] Edwards was chosen as a Veritech group leader early on in the mission. At that time in the mission, Edwards appeared loyal, but secretly plotted to bring Rick down. Near the launch and Rick's wedding, Edwards told Rick that he demanded respect and that if anyone had doubts about him, that they should be told directly to him. Rick was surprised as he had never had the gall to talk like him in that way before. (Robotech II: The Sentinels) REF Civil War Edwards instigated a major rebellion in the RDF after the liberation of Tirol, that cost Rick his unborn son, took Kyle and Breetai's life and left the SDF-3 heavily damaged. After taking control of Invid forces -- betraying his alliance with the Regent -- Edwards fell into what appeared to be a Genesis Pit, radically mutating. He was distracted by Janice Em, who had also fallen into the Pit, and both were destroyed by the SDF-3's Synchro Cannon, fired from Optera's orbit. (Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles 5: The Children of the Shadows) Behind the scenes During the process of writing ''Robotech II: The Sentinels, he was named B.D. Edwards. He was intended to be featured in Robotech: The Movie, but due to plot changes requiring the movie to be set just before Robotech: The Masters -- after the SDF-3 had already left the Earth -- the character in the movie was changed to B.D. Andrews. This drastically changed not only the plot of the film but also most elements of Robotech II, which was originally meant to serve as a sequel to the Megazone 23 adaptation. Edwards' hair was changed to blonde to avoid confusion and his back story was changed as well. Originally, Edwards would have gained his scar during the climactic battle between him and Mark Landry, where his mecha was heavily damaged. This was changed in The Sentinels to instead involve Edwards' placement at Alaska Base and a shot of an explosion was added to the scene in the film to suggest that Andrews had died. (Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels) Most likely to avoid copyright issues with the Megazone 23 film (which Harmony Gold USA did not keep the rights to) Edwards was redesigned for the Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles series. He was given tan skin, robust muscles, and sleek white hair. In 2013, he was given another redesign much closer his original look for the Robotech/Voltron comic series. Designs Colonel B.D. Andrews.jpg|At one point, T.R. Edwards and the character B.D. Andrews from Robotech: The Movie were, in fact, the same character. until Movie had to be refitted to be set after The Sentinels. This caused very minor changes in design... edwards.gif|...such as hair color (the eye piece would always have been present as a result of his injury during his final battle against Mark Landry at the end of the movie). dc_edwards.jpg|The dramatic redesign of Edwards, that ignored his previous appearances all together. Category:Deceased Characters Category:Humans Category:Mercenaries Category:Robotech Defense Force Category:Robotech Expeditionary Force